Mr. Michael Gillespie:

On the ventilation, there are many old schools in the country and our stock is not great in that regard. People are depending on common sense such as opening windows. We all know that air exchange is very important. Schools on the Continent have invested heavily in heat exchanges and the like and they can also be programmed to change the air. We are immediately at a disadvantage to the schools on the Continent. We have not invested in passive buildings in energy, and a side effect of that is the air changes.

We called for meters to be put into classrooms. Cheaper meters can be bought, as the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, HPSC, said. The meters would monitor, for example, the amount of carbon dioxide and signal when there could be air change. It is not an answer to the problem, but it might help. Ventilation is going to become a crucial issue because we all know this is an airborne virus that is carried in droplets. Ventilation, clearing out the air and not allowing the air to build up in classrooms are a problem. I previously said there is not much point in protecting us from Covid-19 if we are all going to end up with pneumonia in January and February in the cold rooms.

In addition, heating systems in schools are not fit for purpose. As soon as one opens windows in Irish schools, the room takes ages to heat up again because the schools are not well insulated. It shows the lack of investment in infrastructure over the past number of years, and it is all coming to a head because of this problem.